Amazon plays major games with shipping. How can small bookshops sell books for a penny? Amazon gives them access to better shipping rates and then reimburses part of that. I have seen other $1 products sell for a nominal penny and a lower shipping cost than I can possibly get.

I think Amazon is strong-arming shippers (USPS, UPS) into carefully-worded bulk-deals and then abusing them to weaken the shippers and thus control them better (or take-over their businesses).

Amazon also plays games with Prime and with vendors. A book publisher I know says Amazon will order 13 books for fast delivery to a warehouse, then 3 days later another 9 books; then not list the item for two weeks. He thinks Amazon is moving inventory "near" all points in the US so that Prime customers get instant gratification.

Amazon is increasingly using "3rd party" shippers: guys with small trucks who slip past trucking and labor regulations.

Is it cheaper *today*? No, but Amazon has played the long-game before.

Not only Amazon. I don't see the brown UPS truck anymore. It's a guy in his own van that does the last mile now. He likes working Sundays and late evening, cause less traffic.

Amazon has been investing in their own delivery service at least in cities.

Fedex has long used independent contractors for delivery, vs UPS that uses union workers.

I really hate the budget shipping service that UPS partnered with the post office for them to do last mile delivery. I live across the street from the post office and sometimes that can take an extra day, not to mention hassles over my street address when I try to place web orders, that USPS does not recognize (If I try to use my PO Box, UPS can not deliver to PO boxes, despite the fact that is literally what their new combo service is doing).

I recently got a package of seeds delivered using that UPS/USPS combo service. The seeds weighed a fraction of an ounce so they could have gotten by with one stamp on an envelope. I am sure UPS charged them more.

I recently got a package of seeds delivered using that UPS/USPS combo service. The seeds weighed a fraction of an ounce so they could have gotten by with one stamp on an envelope. I am sure UPS charged them more.

that's where the chinese are clever. I received many orders of IC's, caps, mill bits, screws, whatever, in simple plastic envelopes, very often free shipping. I know the chinese PO is subsidized by the industry, and it just makes sense.Whilst our postal services try to make a fast buck, the chinese dig their furrow.

Logged

Who's right or wrong is irrelevant. What matters is what's right or wrong.Star ground is for electricians.

that's where the chinese are clever. I received many orders of IC's, caps, mill bits, screws, whatever, in simple plastic envelopes, very often free shipping. I know the chinese PO is subsidized by the industry, and it just makes sense.Whilst our postal services try to make a fast buck, the chinese dig their furrow.

postage from china is subsidized as if they still are a developing nation. I am pretty sure that policy is under review as they do indeed take competitive advantage of it.

I was being sarcastic. Clearly China has not been "backward" in package handling for 30 years. But the international postal agreements change slowly. 'Soon' (some years) all the (former?) "first world" postal authorities will make China pay full freight. But it won't matter because "all"(*) our goods come from China, either post or ship.

(*)I just bought shopping-masks made in Nevada USA. However the way the world is, the fabric is surely from China or that part of the world (Viet-Nam?).

I was being sarcastic. Clearly China has not been "backward" in package handling for 30 years. But the international postal agreements change slowly. 'Soon' (some years) all the (former?) "first world" postal authorities will make China pay full freight. But it won't matter because "all"(*) our goods come from China, either post or ship.

The Chinese government knows where their prosperity comes from (selling goods to the outside world).

Quote

(*)I just bought shopping-masks made in Nevada USA. However the way the world is, the fabric is surely from China or that part of the world (Viet-Nam?).

Viet-Nam is gaining factory jobs while China is losing. Years ago when I ordered a really simple PCB to serve as a battery clamp inside my tuner, I searched for cheap PCB houses and thought I found one in Canada... I was only a little surprised when the PCBs arrived from China.

My cheap spit masks came from China and took roughly a month. The image on Amazon clearly shows 95% claim, the masks that arrived were labelled disposable and protective... (cough).

China has pressed their luck withholding some medicine supply chain materials. This will just accelerate the re-onshoring of critical supplies. We got a little too comfortable.

The problem I see with this business plan is if I know you, you make them to last.

You need to design them to fail a few months after warranty is up, while adding new features to it every few years such that the latest model is a must-have.

I just heard from a previous customer asking me where he could buy a replacement spacer bumper foot that broke. It is easier for me to just mail him new ones than tell him where to buy some.

===

I was working on a DSP based next generation version that would be faster and hipper, but it would also be more expensive. The market wants something smaller and cheaper, apparently with less concern about how well it works, based on what they are using now.

I tried during that last generation redesign and I couldn't make it work properly without the two appropriately sized loudspeakers to engage with the drumheads, so I am stuck with this size and form factor.

Head scratcher.Ordered 4 x dpst switches from amazon. All 4 were in stock.They shipped them out in individual envelopes and all 4 are arriving at different times. I don’t get it... is it cheaper to do it this way?